Improvement in female survival: a quiet revolution in Bangladesh

Abstract

This article examined the time trends of mortality and made a relative comparison of the mortality changes between males and females in different age groups in a rural area in Bangladesh between 1970 and 1995. Data from the Matlab Demographic Surveillance System were used for the study. Two areas were compared: 1) the maternal and child health/family planning (MCH/FP) area and 2) the other area known as the comparison area. Data showed that the mortality situation improved in both areas in every age group within the study period. However, the improvement was much greater for females in infancy and at ages 1-4 and 5-14. While improvement was seen in both areas, greater improvement was observed in the MCH/FP area, indicating a gain in life expectancy that is greater in females than in males. These improvements, however, were still below expectation for infants and children in the 1-4 age group. Thus, more efforts need to be exerted to maintain the improvement in female survival and eliminate excess female child mortality in Bangladesh